Codebreakers' Victory: How the Allied Cryptographers Won World War II

by Hervie Haufler

A veteran cryptographer examines the unique contributions made by American and British codebreakers in the Allied victory during World War II, profiling the work of the Navajo Code Talkers, the decoding units of Hut-8 in Bletchley Park, and others who provided crucial information and intelligence to the Allies. Original.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War II, War, Historical

344 pages, Paperback

First published November 4, 2003

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

My great-uncle wrote this book, and it's been sitting on our family bookshelf for some time without me ever having read it. I took it on a cross-country road trip this summer, and really enjoyed the history that I learned from it. Not only was the information about cryptography incredibly interesting, the book does a fantastic job at describing the war overall in all its theaters. The writing was engaging and well-structured enough for me to follow along with all the developments without feeling like I was getting lost in too much history or didn't have enough information to understand the context. The only tricky bit was keeping track of some of the acronyms; I found myself having to flip back now and then to refresh my memory. Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anybody who enjoys non-fiction, even if history books aren't usually your thing.

[Anthony Ambruso · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nicely done

Lots of good history and information. I found this book interesting but very detailed in technical information. I also lost interest about halfway through the book. Nevertheless, it was a good read about World War II intelligence success.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very readable book about the importance of the codebreakers and other intelligence folks in winning the Second World War. At times you will wonder why it took so long when we usually knew what the Axis powers were going to do.

[Stephen F. Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comprehensive look at both the codebreakers and the war

Great book.! Covers both codebreaking and how it influenced battles. I really liked the stories if deception -- like the spies who never were.

[Robert Drumheller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book concerning reading the other side's secret messages along with the attempt to keep this hidden from the enemy.

[John G · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title is correct

This is a very readable and informative book. It starts with a history of codes and code breaking. We learn of the complexity of codes when machines added. How the cryptographers provided the valuable information that the commanders used to bring victory is a fascinating read.

[Sara Best · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was exciting to read this book, not only because the revelation of the role of the codebreakers in winning WWII an exciting tale, it is very personal to me as my father was one of the Americans of the 6812th Signal Security Detachment. My only wish was I had read it while my Dad was still alive so I could talk to him about his role. They were all bound to secrecy for so long he could never tell us about it. By the time he could speak freely, I was out of the home and living overseas.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating story of Enigma, but it seemed sandwiched in with too many in depth battle descriptions.